On May 8, I posted this entry listing the films I planned to see over the summer. I wound up seeing 9 of the 11 films mentioned (plus Spider-Man 3, which I saw right before making the list), eschewing Rush Hour 3 because it just looked bad and deciding Stardust could wait for video.
Five of the ten films were the third in a series. One was the fourth. One was the fifth. Not surprisingly, my favorite summer films were the others — the original screenplays. And while all of those sequels made a lot of money, most of them weren't very well-received by critics. I'd love to think Hollywood will learn a lesson and bankroll more original ideas, but alas, I'm sure we'll be looking at Shrek Comes Fourth or some such nonsense a year from now.
The big winner of the summer, and the year so far, is Ratatouille.
This film clicks on every level — extraordinary visuals, a score that better win the Oscar, winning performances and an elegant screenplay. It's one of the best things Pixar has ever done, and that's saying a lot.When I compile my favorite scenes of the year, no fewer than three from this film will make the list — Remy's ascent from the sewers to the roof of a building overlooking Paris, his first time in Gusteau's kitchen where he is nearly discovered a half-dozen times but can't bring himself to leave without perfecting the soup and Anton Ego's flashback upon tasting the title dish plus his subsequent review.
The other star of summer was Knocked Up — as consistently funny a movie as I've seen in a decade.
This movie is so chock full of hilarious performances it almost seems unfair to the rest of Hollywood. The work of Ryan Seacrest, Kristen Wiig, Alan Tudyk, Ken Jeong and Craig Robinson alone could make for a decent comedy, and that leaves out the two leads and six main supporting characters, every one of whom is priceless.Those are the two films I know will make my year-end top ten list, probably even top five depending on what fall brings.
Of the rest, I most enjoyed The Bourne Ultimatum, which sewed up that excellent franchise with another brainy, balls-to-the-wall adrenaline-feuled installment. And Superbad, younger brother of Knocked Up, capped the summer off with some big laughs and a real sweet streak.
If they gave out Oscars by season, my Summer Awards would look like this:
Best Picture: Ratatouille
Best Director: Brad Bird - Ratatouille
Best Actress: Katherine Heigl - Knocked Up
Best Actor: Matt Damon - The Bourne Ultimatum
Best Supporting Actor: Paul Rudd - Knocked Up
Best Supporting Actress: Leslie Mann - Knocked Up
Best Original Screenplay: Ratatouille
Best Adapted Screenplay: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Next up... the Fall Preview.
6 comments:
so Hairspray is the big loser, getting no love from you for Nikki Blonski or John Travolta...
of course, if you had seen Once, the best film of the year, let alone the summer, I imagine your list and your awards would be quite different.
My List:
Best Film -- Once
Best Director -- John Carney
Best Actor -- Glen Hansard
Best Actress -- Market Irglova
Best Supporting Actor -- Michael Cera
Best Supporting Actress -- Imelda Staunton
I agree with Amy...Once makes all the other summer fare pale by comparison. Also, while I did enjoy Ratatouille, you calling it "one of the best things Pixar has ever done" is, I think, a big stretch. Rat didn't hold a candle in my mind to either Toy Story, or to Finding Nemo or Incredibles. So, at best, Rat would be somewhere around 5th among the Pixars--somewhere around Cars level (perhaps just above it). The film did not in my view succeed on every level in part because it didn't totally succeed on its primary level of overwhelming, of not entertaining, the kids. All of the other (better) Pixars I named were much funnier and generally more poignant.
Moving beyond the Rat, I obviously liked Spidey more than you, but we have already hashed out that debate. I also had more problems with Bourne but, again, we know our respective views. I also think you are being a bit harsh on Shrek. Yes, it was less than great, but not the utter garbage you describe.
Finally, may I just take a bit of a jab at your plea that Hollywood leaqrn a lesson. While you bemoan Hollywood for "bankrolling" lesser sequels, it seems they know exactly what they are doing when it comes to getting your movie dollar. You ran to each and every one of the sequels, save the horribly reviewed Rush Hour (which I am guessing you would have also seen had it pulled in a 50-60 tomato). Yet you "decided" you could wait for DVD for the original non-sequel Stardust, and you also failed to see Once, the best and most original film of the summer, if not the year. So, if you want to know why Hollywood pushes the sequels, look in the mirror, my friend:)
In my defense, I am limited by babysitting opportunities and a wife who prefers action films to indie fare. If it were solely up to me, I would absolutely have seen Once. And it's not like you didn't watch every one of those sequels as well! I would never suggest moviegoers boycott sequels -- some of them are quite good and most of them are entertaining. And they almost always deliver on the level of spectacle if nothing else. I just wish Hollywood would notice that the best, most memorable films tend to be the originals. But obviously they don't care about the art, just the business.
I think you're completely off-base when it comes to Ratatouille. For one thing, where is it written that its primary purpose is to entertain children? One of the things I love about the film is that it is, in almost every way, made for adults. It has that in common with Brad Bird's other Pixar film, The Incredibles. In terms of cinematic artistry, only The Incredibles comes close to Ratatouille. The Toy Story films, Finding Nemo and Cars have more laughs than this one, but that's not a failure of Ratatouille. It's a subtler film, it's not going for big laughs.
I'd like to see it a few more times before ranking it alongside its Pixar brothers and sisters (lord knows I've seen the rest of them plenty) but I wouldn't hesitate for a second to put it ahead of Bug's Life, Monsters, Cars and Nemo. The question is where it falls in my top four -- is its artistry and resonance enough to overcome the brilliantly funny script and iconic characters of the Toy Story films? Maybe, maybe not. But I do know that if I could pick the writer/director of the next Pixar film, it wouldn't be the extremely talented teams behind the other six films... it would be Brad Bird.
Oh please...I heard Alex say more than "once" that she wanted to see "Once." And in my last comment, I forgot that you also decided not to see Talk to Me. Now, granted, you saw Hairspray instead. But "Talk to Me" should have arguably been next in queue.
Yes, Amy and I saw most if not all of the big Hollywood sequels. But we also saw Once, Talk to Me...and then told you that you should see them. So, not only did you favor the Hollywood sequel machine, you did so over critically acclaimed films and personal raves by people with whom you generally share movie taste.
As for Rat, how big of you to concede it was better than the crap that was Bug's Life. I'm still not sure why you diss the wonderful Nemo, but I didn't find Rat to be up to Nemo standards, and not up to the TS or Incredibles either. Leaving the "it's mostly for kids argument" aside, I thought Rat was beutifully done, just not all that funny and a bit dull to me in parts. I will likely see it again, and want to...but I don't crave to see it again as I did when I cane out of Toy Story I, II or Nemo.
I know you love Brad Bird, and his track record is excellent. But give me a Toy Story 50 times before another Rat.
Yes, Alex was interested in Once, but not the way she was interested in, say, The Bourne Ultimatum. Also, it was playing only at the Boca theater so that really limited us. And when we wanted to take up Amy on the offer to watch the kids, the damn thing left the theater!
As for Talk to Me, I recall you telling us to see Hairspray first and that Talk to Me could be missed in the theater. Amy was making the argument about some sequences playing very well on the big screen. And would you have seen either of those films had Amy not wanted to, buster?!
As for ignoring critical raves as well as personal ones, take a gander at the stack of DVDs on your bookshelf! I've gone so far as to hand-deliver movies like Bad Education, City of God, Mulholland Drive, etc. and yet they go unwatched! Pan's Labyrinth was the Once of 2006 (same movie, really) but you refuse to see it. I do declare!
The brilliant Toy Story films were directed and co-written by the same man who directed and co-wrote the crap that was Bug's Life. And I think that's telling. Most of the Pixar films are a product of a group of very talented people and they adhere to a very winning formula. But the formula is only as good as the particular inspiration. The exceptions are Brad Bird's films, which are bathing in inspiration, and that's why I'd rather see him craft the next Pixar.
Clay said, "The brilliant Toy Story films were directed and co-written by the same man who directed and co-wrote the crap that was Bug's Life. And I think that's telling. Most of the Pixar films are a product of a group of very talented people and they adhere to a very winning formula. But the formula is only as good as the particular inspiration. The exceptions are Brad Bird's films, which are bathing in inspiration, and that's why I'd rather see him craft the next Pixar."
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I agree to a point. First, I haven't seen A Bug's Life, so I can't speak to the quality of it, but it seems those of you have seen it all rank it as the lowest of the Pixar films.
That said, I think in every case, the final film is as good as the original story, and all artists, novelists, animators, poets, painters, have some more meaningful, more poignant, more effective original stories that they create than others which they also create. Since becoming a filmmaker, Brad Bird is three for three, which is wonderful. Nobody raved more about Iron Giant than I did; not sure if we were keeping lists back then, but I'm pretty sure I was the one jumping up and down and telling everybody to see it. And he followed with two innovative and personal films. And while I'm certainly intrigued and excited to see his next film, 1906, I am somewhat surprised to see that he's assuming the Director's chair, interpreting another author's story this time around.
In addition to Bird, Andrew Stanton has been another member (and a longer standing member) of the Pixar world whose best work has also been his most personal. I'm thinking, of course, about Finding Nemo. The fact that he is credited with co credits for the story and screenplay of the Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. films makes a lot of sense, as his work seems fuelled by his experience as a father.
In each case, the story is king. The NY Times article is right on the money about Ratatouille, and I'm sure such insightful and laudatory pieces can (and have) been written about the themes in the Toy Story films, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, all of those films that have such profound moments in the midst of all the eye-popping visuals and hilarious lines. Even in the middle tier films, Cars and Monsters, Inc., there are tremendously touching and insightful moments. When you have a company so passionately devoted to telling great stories and serving those stories with the best voice and animation talent (big names be damned), it's no wonder that they have the track record they do.
You (Clay) talk about a corporate stamp, but I find that corporate stamp to be incredibly unique -- because the talented people behind it share so completely the same vision. When I watch scenes from Toy Story, Monsters, Inc. or Finding Nemo, I might be able to attach them to Andrew Stanton. Similarly, I might be able to find the Brad Bird link in The Incredibles and Ratatouille. But I can definitely spot the Pixar link. I don't need to see Luxo, Jr. to know that I'm watching a Pixar film. And that's not just because of the visuals, though certainly they are a hallmark. It's because of the attention to the story, the mix of genuine humor that comes from characters and situations rather than pop culture riffs, and an inevitably poignant realization made by one or more of the characters (and, ultimately, the audience).
So, as I said before, I agree to a point. Bring on the next Brad Bird movie. But bring on the next Andrew Stanton movie. Bring on the next John Lasseter movie. Bring on the next Pixar movie. They never fail to inspire and delight.
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